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Thranduil
Thranduil was the Elven King of Greenwood the Great. His son was Legolas Greenleaf. He fought in the Battle of the Five Armies. History Thranduil was a tall Sindarin Elf with white blonde hair. He lived in Mirkwood (then called Greenwood the Great), and was married to an unknown Elf of his kingdom. They had a son which they named Legolas. It was during the War with Angmar that Orcs emerged from Gundabad and invaded the Greenwood. Thranduil evidently destroyed the host, but his wife was slain defending their son. The loss of his wife caused Thranduil much grief. In later days, he also suffered injury when battling the fire-drakes of the North, likely from the Withered heath. After suffering grevious loss, Thranduil became very self-centered from that day on and cared only about his own people, shutting himself away from the world. Orcs also killed Tauriel's parents and he adopted her. He is the only Elf Lord who holds the title of King, likely because he is King of the Sindar and Silvan Elves. The Noldor however are separate, and they hold Galadriel and Elrond as their leaders. Dealings with Erebor He tried once to deal with King Thrór of Erebor to create White Gems for him (intended as a gift for his wife) but the Dwarves kept the gems, claiming that the Elf didn't pay the correct price, although he claimed that the Dwarves had stolen the treasure. This created great tension between the two races. Thranduil remarked that he had tried to counsel Thror about his excessive greed, knowing that the treasure would likely draw unwanted attention, but the Elven King's warnings fell on deaf ears. The Elven King was proven correct, as seen when the Dragon Smaug descended on the Mountain with a vengeance. Thranduil arrives in time to see it utterly destroyed and overrun by the dragon. Despite the Dwarves' pleas for help, Thranduil refuses to send his troops against the dragon, not least because the Dwarves had proven unfriendly in their handling over the White Gems. Years later when Thorin and company are captured by the Elves of Thranduil's Kingdom, they are locked up in cells and the Elven King tries to bargain with Thorin, as he still desires the White jewels of Losgalen, which were still in the mountain. Thorin turns down the offer immediately, telling Thranduil that he lacked the honor. Thranduil scolds him for being as greedy as his Grandfather and orders him to be locked up with the other dwarves for 100 years. Thranduil declares he is happy to wait as long as it takes before Thorin changes his mind. Later he converses with Tauriel. The Elven King is confused as to how the Spiders have emerged in the forest again. Tauriel clarifies that they did clear their nest, but they keep returning, and she declares they are coming from Dol Guldur. Thranduil does not wish to send any troops near Dol Guldur, believing that his Kingdom will endure while the world without rises and falls. Thranduil briefly hears Bilbo sneaking around, but as Bilbo is invisible Thranduil does not react. However Thranduil expresses concern that Legolas has now developed romantic feelings for Tauriel. She herself does not see this development, but nonetheless Thranduil tells her that the two are not a match. After the Dwarves escape in barrels, Legolas and Tauriel bring back Narzug, one of Bolg's lieutenants, for interrogation. The orc declares that his master serves "the One", implied to be Sauron. Immediately Thranduil cuts off his head, even though he promised to set the Orc free. He orders the gates to his Kingdom to be sealed off immediately. However, Tauriel has already set off in pursuit of Kili, and Legolas soon follows after her. After Smaug attacks Lake Town, Thranduil sends Feren, his new captain of the guard, to send a message to the two Elves. He says that Legolas must return and that Tauriel is banished. Legolas is unhappy with his father and instead leaves with her to investigate Mt. Gundabad. Thranduil and his army of Elves later arrive at the ruins of Dale with supplies and food for the struggling people of Lake Town. Bard thanks him but Thranduil tells him that it was not done for them and that he had come to reclaim something of his own. Bard offers to speak to Thorin first, as he and the men of Laketown also have a claim to settle with Thorin. In this way Bard intends to claim back payment from Thorina and also secure the white gems for Thranduil. Surprised, the Elven King halts his troops and allows Bard to go forth to speak with Thorin. After Bard is rejected, Thranduil is not surprised. He therefore declares that his army will attack at dawn. Gandalf arrives later on and speaks with Thranduil and Bard. Thranduil is initially dismissive, as he believes that Wizards are prone to overreact at small rumblings, but Gandalf reveals that Sauron is guiding the orcs. Thranduil is indeed concerned, but with no sign of the orcs he intends to press on with his agenda, though he acknowledges Gandalf's loyalty to the Dwarves is admirable At this point, Bilbo arrives and introduces himself to Thranduil. The Elven King is frosty at first, as he recognises Bilbo as the halfling who evidently stole the keys to his dungeons and set the Dwarves free. Biblo is sheepish as he apologises, but he recovers and presents the Arkenstone to the King. Thranduil is stunned to see it, and even more so when Bilbo declares his intent; that in return for the Arkenstone, Thorin will pay up a ransom and avert the need for war. Thranduil's armies assemble at the front gate of Erebor and Bard shows Thorin the stolen Arkenstone. Thorin still turns down the deal and the Dwarves are soon aided when Dáin Ironfoot and the Dwarves of the Inron Hills arrive. Dain is scornful of Thranduil's hostility towards the Dwarves, but Thranduil is merely amused as he states that Dáin is probably just as bad as his cousin and the Elves prepare for war. Dain sends in Dwarves mounted on goats and Thranduil orders a volley of arrows to be loosed on them. But the Dwarves counter with ballista shots which shred through the arrows and crash into the Elves. Therefore Thranduil orders the Elves to funnel the Dwarves into their ranks and skewer them. The Elves manage to kill a significant amount of Dwarves before they are finally interrupted by the giant worms bursting out of the ground. Azog's Orc army emerges at last and the Dwarves get ready to fight. Thranduil's Elves stand still awaiting orders from the Elf King. Gandalf upbraids Thranduil for hesistating. Just as the Orcs are about to reach Dáin's Dwarves, Thranduil sends in Elven swordsmen, and they jump over the Dwarven phalanx to meet the orc onslaught. During the battle, Thranduil rides his Elk into Dale, ploughing through countless orcs. When his Elk is shot down, Thranduil easily dismounts and goes on a rampage with two blades. At length however, so many of his kin are slain that he finally decides to retreat.He tries to leave mid battle but Tauriel stands in the way, refusing to let him pass. She pulls out her bow but Thranduil cuts through it, and is prepared to hurt or kill her to get past. However, Legolas expressly warns his father not to touch her, and the two of them leave for Ravenhill. Thranduil is shaken and takes time to reflect. During this time, Thranduil finally realises that his son Legolas was more important than the White Gems. After the Battle, Thranduil finds Legolas again. The latter states his intention to leave, as he feels that he can no longer stay hidden in the Woodland Realm and remain ignorant of the world. Having acknowledge the importance of his son, Thranduil understands that he must let his son go. Therefore he tells him to join Dunedain of the North and to keep an eye open for a man named Strider. In this way, Thranduil intends that his son Legolas will play a part in the great deeds of the third age and hopefully surpass his own deeds. He finds Tauriel mourning over the body of Kíli and tells her that it was real love. It is unknown whether he gets his desired jewels in the end. Presumably, he returns to Mirkwood and rebuilds his forces in time for the War of the Ring. Appearances * The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey ''(Appears in flashbacks) * ''The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug * The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Costumes * King - Thranduil's robes which he wears in his kingdom * Armour - Thranduil's Armour which he wears during the Battle of the Five Armies. Weapons * Swords - Thranduil has two light single hand swords that are similar in shape to a Katana. * Scepter - Thranduil is briefly seen wielding an Elvish staff while on his throne. Abilities Thranduil is described as the greatest warrior in Middle-Earth by the production team. With a refined fighting style, Thranduil is a ferocious yet graceful fighter. * Elvish strength - Thranduil can cleave through orc flesh and hack through hard material * Elvish agility - Thranduil is exceptionally fast, being able to slice a bow in half before Tauriel could shoot him. He also somersaults through the air and lands on his feet after his war Elk is shot. * Expert swordsman - Thranduil is a master of swordplay, having perfected his technique over thousands of years. Unlike the elaborate back flips used by Legolas, Thranduil uses a more refined approach, opting to use less energy and to keep it simple. His skill is such that he is untouchable in battle. In The Books In the Hobbit, Thranduil is not known by his name and is called the Elven King. In the Lord of the Rings, his name was finally revealed as Thranduil. Category:The Hobbit Characters Category:Elves Category:Characters with Dragon Sickness Category:Mirkwood Elves Category:Good Articles Category:Articles with Gifs